This ground floor flat has clearly been stunning when first renovated. Sadly it is in need of some serious tlc. On receiving the lengthy covid information from the letting agents, my friend and I were confident that we would walk into a pristine flat. Nothing could be further from the truth. Some of this was due to poor cleaning practice and some simply due to the nature of the fabric of the fixtures and fittings.
I must just say at this point that I have given the letting agent the opportunity to hear my concerns and view the photographs but they declined, saying the completed cleaning survey was sufficient.
Yes, the location of this flat is very near perfect, just a few steps over to the beach but that is where the satisfaction ends. Let me just walk you through our experience:
The handle on the glass front door is extremely stiff (especially from the inside),
The lounge - one arm comes off the rocking chair (and has clearly been in that state for a long time) we only discovered it when we moved it slightly in order to close the curtains, the log baskets had rubbish in them, the fire extinguisher was hidden in a corner and has no stickers to say it has been tested regularly. The kitchen is not clean or sanitary. Pre-covid the wooden fruit basket/toast rack and mason storage jars may have been shabby chic but now are completely unacceptable traps for bacteria as is the tea tray which is not fit for purpose.
The large bedroom at the back is beautifully decorated but because of the extremely limited light from the overlooked window - a light colour on the walls would have been more welcoming. I had specifically asked for any feather duvets/pillows to be removed as I am allergic to feathers. This was a last minute request as I had forgotten to mention it before so I said I would take my own sleeping bag and pillows which I did. The fact that the duvet and two feather cushions were still in the room defies belief. (no wifi in this room or mobile signal).
The bathroom: less than one toilet roll supplied, only a tiny amount of soap in the soap dispenser, the flush feels as though it is on its last legs. The front of the shower at the bottom is badly in need of attention though this is not a cleaning problem but a fixtures and fittings one.
The small bedroom at the front had dirty bedding - topper and pillow were stained (the downside of getting your clients to strip the beds). The sail across the window is a really nice idea but is now in need of some thorough cleaning.
The windows throughout are in need of a thorough wash inside and out, though I do understand the limitations of sand/sea/wind impacting on them.
The kitchen: tiny amount of hand soap in dispenser, no spare bin bags NO dishwasher tablet, no cleaning products whatsoever (surprising, given the times we live in and the fact that we were instructed to clean any games/dvd's we used). Whilst the bin had been emptied and a fresh bag put in, the drawer it was in was in a filthy state underneath (I dropped something down the side and had to lift it out to retrieve it). I bought: dishwasher tablets, bin bags, kitchen cleaner, rubber gloves and toilet rolls.
Tiny TV with limited channels - not a big problem as lots of reading done but if TV was your thing - it's less than adequate. All the leaflets about local attractions are absurdly out of date and worse than useless.
Some of the appliances had PAT tested stickers - none of which were up to date, and some didn't have any stickers at all.
Having said all that, North Berwick is one of my favourite places and I will be back, but certainly not to this flat. The upstairs neighbour was delightful as was his dog.
This was by no means a cheap break and the restricted entry and exit times meant it was really a three day break, making it feel even more pricey.
I have hesitated to put this in the public domain, I did give the letting agent the opportunity to hear my concerns directly. As previously stated, they declined the offer. I have photographs to uphold my comments.
